Strasbourg, 20.11.2008 - “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” still faces systemic challenges, eight years after the closing of PACE’s monitoring procedure, and new challenges to democratic institutions have emerged, according to the Chair of PACE’s Monitoring Committee. In an information note on his recent visit, declassified yesterday, Serhiy Holovaty (Ukraine, ALDE) called for “constructive dialogue” between the majority and opposition, currently hampered by a climate of distrust and mutual accusations. The parliamentary elections had been “a bad example of a democratic process”, he said, making the 2009 presidential and local elections a crucial test of the country’s democracy.
